http://bronxbanter.baseballtoaster.com/ en-us Sun, 11 May 2008 20:47:00 PST Sun, 11 May 2008 00:00:00 PST support2007@baseballtoaster.com 60 http://bronxbanter.baseballtoaster.com/archives/982415.html The Yankees' series finale in Detroit was one of three games rained out on Mother's Day yesterday. The game will be made up either July 24 or September 1. The former date would result in the Yankees playing 27 consecutive games coming out of the All-Star break. http://bronxbanter.baseballtoaster.com/archives/982415.html Sun, 11 May 2008 20:47:00 PST http://bronxbanter.baseballtoaster.com/archives/981922.html Ah, a nice tidy win for the Yanks yesterday afternoon in the Motor City. Darrell Rasner may be short on stuff, but he throws the ball over the plate and pitched well enough to earn his second straight win. http://bronxbanter.baseballtoaster.com/archives/981922.html Sun, 11 May 2008 06:26:00 PST http://bronxbanter.baseballtoaster.com/archives/981277.html As I've previously mentioned, I'm anxious about peeing in public restrooms. Have been ever since I was a kid. About ten years ago, though, I was hanging out with my friend Steve Stein, aka Steinski, at his studio/office in Manhattan. At one point, I told him I had to take a leak and as I stood up, he walked by me and said that he had to relieve himself too. Awww, man, I thought. The men's room down the corridor from his office was made up of two cramped stalls and a small sink. There was no place to hide, not enough room to pretend that my non-peeing was actually just a subtle stream that was tapping on the side of the bowl away from the water. I was stuck. Stein, of course, was oblivious to my dilemma and he continued our conversation in his soothing, New York accent. I was thrilled and delighted to discover that as we chatted, I had no problems peeing. The next time the situation came up, same result. Why Stein I don't know, but I took it as a sign that a deep comfort existed between us. Eventually, I told him as much. http://bronxbanter.baseballtoaster.com/archives/981277.html Sat, 10 May 2008 09:49:00 PST http://bronxbanter.baseballtoaster.com/archives/981249.html Kei Igawa was predictably awful last night, though in an unpredictable way. After I called him a Three True Outcome pitcher in my preview, Igawa didn't walk anyone, give up any home runs, or strike anyone out. He also didn't make it out of the fourth inning. Taking a closer look, the Tigers were too busy getting hits to draw any walks (Igawa faced 20 men, 11 of them got hits), spacious Comerica Field helped reduce some would-be homers to doubles or long outs, and only two of Igawa's 64 pitches were swung at and missed. http://bronxbanter.baseballtoaster.com/archives/981249.html Fri, 9 May 2008 22:34:10 PST http://bronxbanter.baseballtoaster.com/archives/980234.html When the Tigers completed their sweep of the Yankees in the Bronx last week, it completed a 12-5 stretch that made Detroit's 2-10 start seem like nothing but an injury-plagued fluke. Since then, the Tigers have gone 1-6 against the Twins and Red Sox, throwing things into doubt once again. Since leaving New York, the Tigers have scored just 3.14 runs per game, with 10 of the 22 runs they've scored over that stretch coming in their lone win on Wednesday. In the other six games, they've averaged just two runs per game. http://bronxbanter.baseballtoaster.com/archives/980234.html Fri, 9 May 2008 12:01:00 PST http://bronxbanter.baseballtoaster.com/archives/980059.html http://bronxbanter.baseballtoaster.com/archives/980059.html Fri, 9 May 2008 08:56:00 PST http://bronxbanter.baseballtoaster.com/archives/980323.html On Monday evening, I attended a reading of a new collection of essays, Anatomy of Baseball, edited by Lee Gutkind and Andrew Blauner, and featuring work by John Thorn, Michael Shapiro and the late George Plimpton. Kevin Baker, the acclaimed novelist, contributed a piece on old ballparks, which features some wonderfully evocative writing about the Polo Grounds. Here is an excerpt of his chapter, At the Park: http://bronxbanter.baseballtoaster.com/archives/980323.html Fri, 9 May 2008 07:01:00 PST http://bronxbanter.baseballtoaster.com/archives/980148.html The Yankees hit four home runs this afternoon to overcome a rocky fifth inning from Mike Mussina and avoid being swept by the Indians in the finale of what proved to be a disappointing 4-5 homestand. Mussina allowed just one baserunner through the first four innings, but handed a 3-0 lead in the fifth thanks to home runs by Johnny Damon (a 330-foot pop fly to right field) and Jason Giambi (a two-run shot that sailed over the right field foul pole) in the bottom of the fourth, Moose gave it all back. http://bronxbanter.baseballtoaster.com/archives/980148.html Thu, 8 May 2008 16:23:00 PST http://bronxbanter.baseballtoaster.com/archives/979583.html Rich Lederer and his son are on the east coast taking in some baseball, "a trip of a lifetime." They started in Boston on Sunday, then visited Cooperstown before arriving in Manhattan early yesterday afternoon. I spoke to Rich via cell phone just after he arrived in the Bronx hours later to see Yankee Stadium for the first (and last) time. http://bronxbanter.baseballtoaster.com/archives/979583.html Thu, 8 May 2008 09:30:00 PST http://bronxbanter.baseballtoaster.com/archives/979616.html A few days ago I was hanging with some seamheads talking shop. The subject got around to the great Mariano Rivera. When I told Steve Goldman just how much I appreciate watching Rivera, Steve said, "It's like watching Fred Astaire in his later years." Isn't that a great comp? Think Astaire in Bandwagon. (Speaking of which, has anyone ever had more fetching legs than Cyd Charisse?) http://bronxbanter.baseballtoaster.com/archives/979616.html Thu, 8 May 2008 07:16:00 PST http://bronxbanter.baseballtoaster.com/archives/979588.html In just the fourth matchup in American League history of undefeated pitchers with at least five wins each, 6-0 Chien-Ming Wang scattered three runs over seven innings and yielded to scoreless relief work by Kyle Farnsworth and Jonathan Albaladejo. http://bronxbanter.baseballtoaster.com/archives/979588.html Thu, 8 May 2008 05:39:00 PST http://bronxbanter.baseballtoaster.com/archives/978075.html I want to let you know that I've made mistakes in many columns I've written, for which I'm sorry. I've apologized to those editors, my family (my harshest editors), and when warranted, you, the reader. Like everyone, I have flaws. I make poor word choices at times, have typos and write grammatically incorrect sentences. I maintain, however, that I've never used steroids or Human Growth Hormone to write a Yankee Panky column for this Web site. http://bronxbanter.baseballtoaster.com/archives/978075.html Wed, 7 May 2008 09:35:00 PST http://bronxbanter.baseballtoaster.com/archives/978670.html Yesterday afternoon, Pete Abraham excerpted a portion of Cynthia Rodriguez's chat with Michael Kay on the new YES program, YESterdays: http://bronxbanter.baseballtoaster.com/archives/978670.html Wed, 7 May 2008 07:58:00 PST http://bronxbanter.baseballtoaster.com/archives/977853.html You gotta attack all the time, [Joba Chamberlain] said in a contrite tone. You can't take a pitch off. You never think you're doing that, but you should attack more with the fastball. I didn't attack the zone as much as I should have. (John Harper, N.Y. Daily News) Joba Chamberlain's face was puffy and sweaty,his eyes glassy and red-rimmed. His head had just been in his hands, his fists balled, grabbing at his cropped hair. A white towel hung over his head and his large chin jutted up.Sitting on the bench, itlooked as if he was going to burst out bawlingand for the first time her trulylooked like Joba the Hutt. I thought about Chamberlain's father, Harlan, who has been ill this spring. I thought about how he had just shook his catcher off several times. Then I thought, dag, this hasnever happened to the kid before. http://bronxbanter.baseballtoaster.com/archives/977853.html Wed, 7 May 2008 05:50:00 PST http://bronxbanter.baseballtoaster.com/archives/976508.html Since the Yankees and Indians split a four-game series in Cleveland a week ago, the Yankees split a pair of three-game sweeps and the Tribe went 2-3. All five wins, by both teams, came against the hapless Mariners, who are now nursing a five-game losing streak. The rain erased a sixth Cleveland contest, conveniently pushing C.C. Sabathia out of this week's three-game set in the Bronx by pushing his last start up a day. http://bronxbanter.baseballtoaster.com/archives/976508.html Tue, 6 May 2008 12:51:00 PST